Former Forza dev says original Motorsport series died in Microsoft's cuts, but Forza Horizon lives on

First reported by Eurogamer, former Forza content coordinator Fred Russell has stated on Facebook that the Forza Motorsport series has been effectively killed by Microsoft's most recent wave of mass layoffs, but that the Horizon spinoff series will continue. Russell left Forza developer Turn 10 in 2016, but appears to still have inside contacts at the company.

"Turn 10 Studios has shuttered the Forza Motorsport space and the team is no more," Russell wrote on Facebook. "A very sad day for one of the best car racing videogames. I loved my time there." In response to a comment asking if Turn 10 would cease making games altogether, Russell responded that "Forza Horizon will continue at this point."

The axing of one major franchise while another carries on lines up with other reporting on how Turn 10 was affected by the layoffs. Bloomberg's Jason Schreier posted on Bluesky that up to 50% of Turn 10's staff had been let go from the company.

Forza Motorsport was the original incarnation of the series, offering a classic, track-by-track experience that served as Microsoft's answer to Gran Turismo on PlayStation. Forza Horizon emerged as an open world spinoff of the series in 2012, and it seems to have eclipsed its progenitor in popularity. The most recent entries of each were the confusingly-named Forza Motorsport in 2023⁠—really Forza Motorsport 8, for those keeping track⁠—and Forza Horizon 5 in 2021.

Though sitting at "Mixed" reviews on Steam, PCG contributor Phil Iwaniuk gave Forza Motorsport an 80% in his review, praising its execution of the arcade racing format, even if it failed to innovate or take risks. Meanwhile, PCG editor-in-chief Phil Savage awarded a 90% score in his review of Forza Horizon 5, writing that it was "a ridiculous car playground masquerading as an open world racing game."